Two things are on my mind this morning. You might even be interested in one of them. I am scheduled to take a flight to Los Angeles to attend the American Numismatic Association's World's Fair of Money later today.

I look forward to the event to see how the commercial part of the hobby is holding up in the aftermath of the bankruptcy of National Gold Exchange.

It doesn't hurt that gold is on the strong side this morning. It helps both market psychology and the cash flow of some of the other dealers. This all helps to give commercial activity a push.

Naturally, too, the ANA is a place to see and be seen. There are few places where you can meet so many active and interesting people that you then can continue to deal with by e-mail or telephone during the remaining months of the year.

We are still a hobby and a business where personal relationships matter. That probably is why the NGE affair stings so much whether there is any long-lasting financial fallout or not.

The second thing on my mind this morning has to do with additional Mint products that offer the new Lincoln cents in other packages.

I was in the office yesterday to try to get ahead of the curve before I hit the road today.

Peter Fisher had sent me an e-mail asking about a proof Lincoln cent set that is going on sale Aug. 26. He asked if a Lincoln commemorative dollar was in it.

I fired off an e-mail to the Mint and got a response the same day - Sunday no less - for which I am grateful.

The set going on sale Aug. 26 is a four-coin proof set that features just the four new Lincoln cent designs. Production will be unlimited and order limits, but price and numbers are yet to be announced.

Also, a date is yet to be determined for the availability of what is called the Lincoln Coins and Chronicles Set that will include a proof Lincoln commemorative silver dollar as well as the four proof Lincoln cents.

This second set will have a maximum mintage of just 50,000, because that is the number of proof commemoratives that had been set aside earlier this year.

These will probably sell out in just hours or days when they finally go on sale.

There it is. Time to dash to the airport. I hope to see you in Los Angeles.

About the Author David C. Harper has been a coin collector since 1963. He joined the Krause Publications editorial staff in 1978 and is currently editor of Numismatic News and World Coin News. He also edits two books annually, North American Coins & Prices and Coin Digest. He is the author of the Class of '63 column that runs each week in Numismatic News. His first bylined numismatic article appeared in the June 1971 issue of Coins Magazine and his various Krause Publications assignments included a stint as editor of the magazine 1980-1983. Harper received a bachelor of science degree from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh in 1977. He had a double major of journalism and economics.